Propaganda
During World War II, propaganda was used by nations on both sides to shape public opinion and build loyalty. The Nazis used propaganda to promote Nazism, anti-Semitism, and the ideology of an Aryan master race. Nazi propaganda was delivered through the Nazi-controlled mass media, banners, posters, and in fanatical speeches to audiences at mass rallies.
Under the Nazis, Jews were legally classified as a race. Hitler said "The Jews are undoubtedly a race, but they are not human." Nazi propaganda films portrayed Jews as vermin and sub-human, unworthy of life. Jews were presented as distasteful, untrustworthy and as having stereotypical physical characteristics. In contrast, German women were presented as idealized Aryan wives and mothers; tall, blond, traditional and noble. Contact between the "races" was feared by the Nazis, and forbidden by the Nazi race laws.
Der Sturmer was an inflammatory German weekly newspaper which published virulently anti¥Semitic propaganda from 1923 to 1945 and frequently targeted Jewish store owners, tailors, doctors and lawyers Der Sturmer labeled Jewish fashion " a thorn in the eye of the SS" and inappropriate for the "New Germany."
Nazi propaganda portrayed Jews as a "crushing presence" in the German clothing industry, conspiring to undermine the nobility of German womanhood. Jewish department stores were accused of promoting the modern ideas of "capitalism, socialism, republicanism and urbanism," as opposed to 'traditional' German values. The campaign against Jewish clothing and fashion businesses began with propaganda and then escalated into boycotts, intimidation, Aryanization and deportations.
opposed to 'traditional' German values. The campaign against Jewish clothing and fashion businesses began with propaganda and then escalated into boycotts, intimidation, Aryanization and deportations.
Definitions
- Propoganda - An organized plan to promote biased information, derogatory ideas or practices, transmitted in speeches, Slogans, posters, newspapers, film etc.
- Race - Classification based on a group's supposed common descent and physical feature
- SS/Schutzstaffel - This "Protection Squad" which was also known as the Black Skirts ? was originally Hitler's bodyguard. The S was then enlarged and became an independent en under Heinrich Himmler. By 1936 the SS controlled a the police agencies and late played a major role in admin istrating the death camps
Cover of Der Sturmer - January 16, 1938
Der Sturmer was a weekly German newspaper which published antisemitic propaganda From 1923 to 1945. Published in Nuremberg by Julius Streicher, it was self¥titled a "German Weekly Newspaper Towards the Struggle for the Truth." It often proclaimed, as this issue does at bottom, that "the Jews are our misfortune."
This particular issue is concerned with "The Jewish Businessman: He Harms the People and the Merchants."
The cover image is titled "Jewish Calculation," and its caption reads, "We are Jews. We are destroying. She is fooled by the glitter. The Jewish name does not bother her.
The table of contents lists articles on:
- Commerce with Girls
- Jews and Architecture
- The Monster Talmud
- A Fascist Writes about Racial Shame
Anti-Semitic Beer Coaster
Inscription reads "Whoever buys from a Jew is a traitor to his people."
Examine, Define, Describe
Examine the newspaper page with the cartoon showing a woman being fitted for a dress by a tailor. What racial stereotypes are being presented? How is the text used to incite hatred towards Jews? Why do you think Jewish businessmen were specifically targeted by this propaganda? What negative characteristics are portrayed by the image and text of the beer coaster?
Read the definition of propaganda. Would you classify these documents as propaganda, and if so why? What is the difference between persuasion in advertising and propaganda?
The Language of Slogans
As part of the propaganda campaign against Jews, slogans were posted on shops, on the sides of ships and airplanes, at mass rallies, and carried on signs through the streets. Read the following examples:
"Jews are our misfortune."
"The Jew is our greatest enemy, beware of the Jew.
"Germans defend yourselves against Jewish atrocity propaganda."
"Germans defend yourselves! Don't buy from Jews!"
"Avoid Jewish department stores; buy at Christian ones. "
"Hyenas are scum, so are Jews.
How violent is the language used and why? What is the role of propaganda slogans in creating and promoting stereotypes? What is the difference between individual incidents of racial slurs or graffiti and a propaganda campaign?
How common is the targeting of different ethnic groups in your school or community? Describe examples of ethnic slurs or slogans you have heard expressed or seen written as graffiti. What kinds of words are used and why? Why is it important to oppose individual incidents?